


Losing My Balance

by dragongirl_3745



Series: A Brand New Life [3]
Category: Wilby Wonderful (2004)
Genre: Homophobic Language, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-22
Updated: 2015-01-22
Packaged: 2018-03-08 16:28:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3215870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragongirl_3745/pseuds/dragongirl_3745
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The breaking of a marriage and familial relationships bring something new for Dan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Losing My Balance

"I HOPE YOU ROT IN HELL!" 

Dan Jarvis could still remember the tears, rage and humiliation on Val's face as she screamed those words at him. He had known telling his now ex-wife about the raid on Wilby Watch, about him being caught with another man, would be horrible. He had just not anticipated how bad it would be. 

"WHY DID YOU EVEN ASK ME TO MARRY YOU IF YOU WERE QUEER?!" 

She hadn't allowed him to answer her question before she was leaving the house, leaving Wilby Island, and sending him the divorce papers. He'd expected to lose Val, but he had not expected to lose his family and few friends as well. 

"Don't contact us. You're not welcome here. No son of ours is a faggot." 

Dan had called his father to give him the news about the Watch and had been forced to come out to him. He'd expected it to be bad, but he'd not expected to be cut off completely. After the call, he'd sat in the hotel room trembling, hurting from how cold and nastily his father had spoken to him. He'd thought, being a man in his late thirties, he could handle the censure. He found the tears coming anyway. After bringing the tears under some control, feeling sick to his stomach and with his head aching, he made a few more calls; to his brother and to the few people he'd considered his friends. 

His father must have called his brother during his crying session because his brother hung up on him before he could even speak. And his friends turned out to be just as homophobic as everyone else he'd spoken to that night. After the calls, the nasty words still ringing in his ears, he'd stretched out on the hotel bed and stared at the ceiling for a long time, silent tears trickling down his cheeks. That was when he began to think of ways to kill himself. 

What had followed the next day was a comedy of errors in his attempts to commit suicide. When he saw Duck McDonald that first time on the bridge, he'd felt vaguely irritated that the man had interrupted him. But for a man like Duck, who went out of his way to be invisible, to approach Dan and start a conversation, it hadn't registered with Dan then that Duck might have suspicions about Dan's actions. Dan had seen Duck at the Watch on occasion, but he'd never spoke to him or approached him. Duck had not been there the night of the raid. 

It was weeks after Dan's release from the hospital and things had finally settled down that Dan learned about Duck's attempt at talking to Buddy French about the paper listing the names of the men at the Watch before Sandra Anderson had interrupted them. Dan studied the man nestled against him as they rested against the headboard of the bed they now shared. Even talking about that time brought shadows of frustration to Duck's eyes. Dan could see it so clearly, now, that he'd not been totally alone throughout his crisis, and that Duck had suffered with him too. Dan tightened his hold on Duck and met Duck's eyes steadily. 

"I'm here now, Duck. It's still hard sometimes, you know that. But I'm going to fight it. I'm not leaving you."

Duck sighed quietly and relaxed fully against Dan's body. Dan figured that having this man here, warm and solid in his arms, was worth all the loss and pain he'd gone through. And by the loving look in Duck's eyes, Dan thought Duck felt the same.

**Author's Note:**

> Unbetaed, so all mistakes are my own.


End file.
